Your Favorite Concert Moments

[Lorraine]

Being from Toronto just about every show I saw was magic. However seeing them on the road brought out my Canadian pride. Like the time in 1978 in Hollywood Florida when my brother and I stood at Geddy's feet. In my opinion this was about the time the band hit its zenith, and luckily I got to see them about 10 times during that period, but the Florida show was really special/

 

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx257/andreww1962/RUSH042_zps337130a3.jpg

 

Andrew, you have my envy.

[ZachenFoot]

1) June 28, 2013. Amidst a rather stoic crowd (for a Chicago Rush concert), Daniel Carcillo of the Chicago Blackhawks came out with the Stanley Cup, promptly bringing everyone to their feet and turning it into one of the loudest moments I've ever heard at a Rush concert. They broke into "YYZ" and you'd think it was the Rio crowd. It was the same day as the Stanley Cup parade and rally and the same week as the Hawks winning the Cup. Two of my favorite things ever in one setting. It was truly special.

 

2) September 8, 2007. My first Rush concert. The weather was a stunning 70 degrees without a cloud in the sky, and we were dead center. It couldn't have been more special. The one thing I'll never forget from that show was the lull of five straight S&A songs concluding with the truly boring (IMO) "The Way the Wind Blows," and an energetic crowd was completely taken out of the show. Once that song ended, the stage went black, and then blue light took over the stage and from our spot you could only see Geddy silhouetted in front of his keyboard as he played the intro to "Subdivisions." The place went nuts. I still get chills thinking about it. That 1-2-3 of "Subdivisions," "Natural Science," and "Witch Hunt" was stellar.

 

3) July 5, 2010. Seeing Moving Pictures in its entirety. I hated that tour, the first set was a total buzzkill. Moving Pictures in its entirety did a good job redeeming the experience, but unfortunately it is still my least favorite Rush tour that I've seen.

 

BONUS:

 

4) September 15, 2012. You ever have a breathtaking moment where you're at a show and you're taken aback thinking, "Wow, I cannot believe I'm seeing this?" It was during "Manhattan Project" (of all songs), during the bridge to the chorus, with the string ensemble behind the band. It was so "big" in that moment, and I'll never forget being awe-struck by that. I believe 9/15/12 is my favorite overall Rush concert to date, and that was the exclamation point.

[ZachenFoot]

I would also say that of my five Rush concerts since I was 15, the best thing that could have come of the experiences was seeing each and every show with my best friend. He introduced me to Rush, and I could never imagine seeing a show without him. It's our "thing" now. And it's great when you have someone you care about that you can share these experiences with.

[KennyLee]

Oh, one more. Can't believe I forgot.

 

Time Machine Tour. Not my favorite tour but the fact that I brought my two older boys with me was special. Seeing their faces experiencing them for the first time live was something I will never forget.

[x1yyz]

During a few shows on the CA tour I was sitting up in front of Alex (for some reason I kept ending up with seats on Alex's side—I still need to experience good seats on Geddy's side!). Of course, I was singing along to all the songs and having a good ol' time, and I got a few smiles from Alex sent my way.

 

I'd love to sit next to someone like you at a Rush concert. We'd have a great time.

 

Yeh, I'd love to sit next to the guy that always sits at the front too!

 

That's not what I meant. She is enthusiastic about Rush and we share similar taste in our favorite albums/songs. I would be singing along with her. Maybe even getting up and doing a little dance every once in a while. Or just sitting there looking mesmerized.

 

Getting up? The only time I sat down was during the intermission! :banana: :cheerleader: :yay: :7up: :dweez:

[Johnny Gilbert]

 

Early '79. Hemispheres tour. My first concert of any kind. They closed that amazing setlist with Neil's drum solo. At the end he stood up, and sort of flicked the 2 drumsticks out into the crowd. One literally landed in my hand without me even having to move!

 

 

Edited July 30, 2014 by Johnny Gilbert

[WorkingAllTheTime]

During Entre Nous at The Sony in Camden, NJ. I was third row and Geddy did a very cool (wish I could remember exactly) little harmonic triplet during it and right after looked out at the crowd (I know the look when you do something on the fly and cool and want to know if anyone noticed or appreciated it). I looked up at him, nodded my head and pointed at him. He looked right at me, nodded and pointed back with a little smile.

 

I knew he knew I "got it". Being acknowledged by the band is cool but being acknowledged for noticing something musical that few did was even cooler.

 

This hits at a couple of key things I enjoy about a Rush show.

 

One is Alex and Neil equally have a good time and interact with the crowd in subtle ways. I have seen too many bands that are freaking robots on stage, just going through the motions, practically pretending there is no one there. I realize some would say Neil does this, but that's really not the case. He interacts greatly with Alex and Geddy during shows... I have actually witnessed Alex cause him to fall out laughing and briefly lose it during a song. That said, it's kind of hard to interact with the crowd from behind the massive kit of his.

 

The other is the fact they do play around and try different and unique things. I often hit multiple shows on the same leg of a tour and, even if the set list is the same, each show is different for this reason.

Edited July 30, 2014 by WorkingAllTheTime

[PolarizeMe]

1. October 20, 2012 - Most memorable because I absol-f***ing-lutely loved the '80s oriented first half of the setlist, and also because they played Where's My Thing? live which was #1 on my bucket list of Rush songs I wanted to hear live in a perfect world. I remembered during the loud blast during Red Sector A, I gave out a big excited "WOO!", and everyone looked at me as if I needed to go to the optometrist and/or get my hearing checked.

 

2. April 11, 2011 - Seeing Rush in NYC was on my bucket list for a long time. Out of the two TM Tour shows I saw, this was the better of the two shows both crowd wise and performance wise. It gave a whole new meaning to the lyrics "Angular mass of New Yorkers". I remembered blowing a s**tload of money on three tour shirts alone which may or may not have been the smartest decision I've made at the merchtable.

 

Honorable mention: Doesn't deal with the band directly, but I saw Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks a few months back and I was wearing my Moving Pictures shirt in hopes of him playing "Stereo" (AKA the Pavement song with the Geddy Lee reference). He must've saw me in the audience loud and proud with my Moving Pictures shirt and/or telepathically knew my name, because he dedicated the 2nd song of the encore to "Marc/Mark" and proceeded to play Stereo. And I made sure I screamed the words "What about the voice of Geddy Lee? How did it get so high? I wonder if he speaks like an ordinary guy" as loud as I could.

Edited July 31, 2014 by PolarizeMe

[YYZumbi]

my favorite, was when I saw Rush last time (on Clockwork Angels Tour), and I was standing on first row, infront of Geddy.

 

and the song 2112 started, then I was so happy that I almost cry, and then when Geddy was singing "And the meek shall inherit the earth." then I got goosebumps, and if that wasent enough, Geddy was looking at me and gave me a big smile when he was singing We Are The Priests Of The Temples Of Syrinx, then I almost died of happiness. :o

Edited July 31, 2014 by YYZumbi

[Mr. JD]

July 20, 2008, Charlotte, NC. My daughter Sam's Make-A-Wish. The best moment is when we were at the sound check and Alex stood 3 feet away from Sam and played her Hope. I'll never forget it. He just watched her, smiled, and played while she sobbed. That song just means so much to her. She listened to it A LOT while taking chemotherapy. The other great moment was when Geddy dedicated Mission to her. She was on stage during the song and was so excited. Mission was (and still is) one of her very favorite songs. I remember watching her during the song. I couldn't believe Geddy dedicated the song to her. I haven't heard him dedicate songs very often over the years.

 

By the way, Sam graduated from the University of Georgia in May with 2 bachelor degrees and is starting her graduate degree work at UGA next month. She remains cancer free!

Edited July 31, 2014 by johndyar

[Narps]

July 20, 2008. My daughter Sam's Make-A-Wish. The best moment is when we were at the sound check and Alex stood 3 feet away from Sam and played her Hope. I'll never forget it. He just watched her, smiled, and played while she sobbed. That song just means so much to her. She listened to it A LOT while taking chemotherapy. The other great moment was when Geddy dedicated Mission to her. She was on stage during the song and was so excited. Mission was (and still is) one of her very favorite songs. I remember watching her during the song. I couldn't believe Geddy dedicated the song to her. I haven't heard him dedicate songs very often over the years.

 

By the way, Sam graduated from the University of Georgia in May with 2 bachelor degrees and is starting her graduate degree work at UGA next month. She remains cancer free!

Awesome story and so glad she is well..... :cheers:

[x1yyz]

July 20, 2008, Charlotte, NC. My daughter Sam's Make-A-Wish. The best moment is when we were at the sound check and Alex stood 3 feet away from Sam and played her Hope. I'll never forget it. He just watched her, smiled, and played while she sobbed. That song just means so much to her. She listened to it A LOT while taking chemotherapy. The other great moment was when Geddy dedicated Mission to her. She was on stage during the song and was so excited. Mission was (and still is) one of her very favorite songs. I remember watching her during the song. I couldn't believe Geddy dedicated the song to her. I haven't heard him dedicate songs very often over the years.

 

By the way, Sam graduated from the University of Georgia in May with 2 bachelor degrees and is starting her graduate degree work at UGA next month. She remains cancer free!

 

How wonderful!

[Pars123]

1) June 28, 2013. Amidst a rather stoic crowd (for a Chicago Rush concert), Daniel Carcillo of the Chicago Blackhawks came out with the Stanley Cup, promptly bringing everyone to their feet and turning it into one of the loudest moments I've ever heard at a Rush concert. They broke into "YYZ" and you'd think it was the Rio crowd. It was the same day as the Stanley Cup parade and rally and the same week as the Hawks winning the Cup. Two of my favorite things ever in one setting. It was truly special.

 

2) September 8, 2007. My first Rush concert. The weather was a stunning 70 degrees without a cloud in the sky, and we were dead center. It couldn't have been more special. The one thing I'll never forget from that show was the lull of five straight S&A songs concluding with the truly boring (IMO) "The Way the Wind Blows," and an energetic crowd was completely taken out of the show. Once that song ended, the stage went black, and then blue light took over the stage and from our spot you could only see Geddy silhouetted in front of his keyboard as he played the intro to "Subdivisions." The place went nuts. I still get chills thinking about it. That 1-2-3 of "Subdivisions," "Natural Science," and "Witch Hunt" was stellar.

 

3) July 5, 2010. Seeing Moving Pictures in its entirety. I hated that tour, the first set was a total buzzkill. Moving Pictures in its entirety did a good job redeeming the experience, but unfortunately it is still my least favorite Rush tour that I've seen.

 

BONUS:

 

4) September 15, 2012. You ever have a breathtaking moment where you're at a show and you're taken aback thinking, "Wow, I cannot believe I'm seeing this?" It was during "Manhattan Project" (of all songs), during the bridge to the chorus, with the string ensemble behind the band. It was so "big" in that moment, and I'll never forget being awe-struck by that. I believe 9/15/12 is my favorite overall Rush concert to date, and that was the exclamation point.

I was at that Tinley Park show! It was amazing, I've never been in a crowd like that before! Such an amazing concert!

[Citizen of the World]

As a big Rush fan, from time immemorial, my daughters had grown up with Rush. By the time the Snakes and Arrows tour came around they were old enough to see the band. They had seen a few of the "kids bands" but had never seen a big time rock concert. We went down to Seattle to the White River Amphitheatre to see the show. After years of listening to the music, and of listening to me talk about the band, they were ready to see them live. The lights went down and the intro video started, I looked over at my girls, who were 14 and 16, and saw that they were both crying in anticipation. To me that will always be my favorite Rush experience. They stood for the entire show. As we sat in the lineup to get out of the parking lot they talked about how much the concert meant to them, and how they couldn't wait until the next time. This was not just the excitement of seeing the band. My daughters and I have had many long talks about the lyrics and about doing what you believe in when others may try to dissuade you. They are both strong people that I am very proud of, and I believe that Rush has touched them like it has so many of us.

[andreww]

Early '79. Hemispheres tour. My first concert of any kind. They closed that amazing setlist with Neil's drum solo. At the end he stood up, and sort of flicked the 2 drumsticks out into the crowd. One literally landed in my hand without me even having to move!

 

I know what you mean. Exact same thing happened to me with Roger Daltrey's harmonica. Saw him throw it, disappeared in the lights, then dropped in my hand. Would probably be worth a ton as that was the Who's final performance ever, simulcast around the world from Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

 

Unfortunately the Who just couldn't stay retired and the harmonica resides somewhere in my basement.

[andreww]

 

One is Alex and Neil equally have a good time and interact with the crowd in subtle ways. I have seen too many bands that are freaking robots on stage, just going through the motions, practically pretending there is no one there.

 

I hear you. Saw Heart a few weeks back and was right at the front of the stage. The band was great but there was absolutely no interaction with the crowd. None! Like you said, felt like they were just going through the motions.

[andreww]

I was listening to a bootleg that I acquired of a show I went to on September 2, 1979 at Varsity Stadium in Toronto. This wasn't an official tour and they only went to a handful of cities as they were recording Permanent Waves at the time. The thing that was awesome about that show was they played the complete versions of 2112 (show opener), ByTor & the Snowdog, Xanadu, Cygnus X1 & Hemispheres. I know they've played condensed versions of all those tunes in the same set before, but not sure that the ever played entire versions of all of them?

 

Not only that, the set include Spirit of Radio & Freewill played for the first time ever (No guitar solo in either song)

 

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx257/andreww1962/RUSH140_zps40439585.jpg

[Syrinx]

That Varsity show was awesome. Lousy weather though!

[x1yyz]

I was listening to a bootleg that I acquired of a show I went to on September 2, 1979 at Varsity Stadium in Toronto. This wasn't an official tour and they only went to a handful of cities as they were recording Permanent Waves at the time. The thing that was awesome about that show was they played the complete versions of 2112 (show opener), ByTor & the Snowdog, Xanadu, Cygnus X1 & Hemispheres. I know they've played condensed versions of all those tunes in the same set before, but not sure that the ever played entire versions of all of them?

 

Not only that, the set include Spirit of Radio & Freewill played for the first time ever (No guitar solo in either song)

 

:drool: If only I could go back in time to see that!

[Lorraine]

Me too. What kills me is that I could have gone to those shows and didn't.

[rugen]

During a few shows on the CA tour I was sitting up in front of Alex (for some reason I kept ending up with seats on Alex's side—I still need to experience good seats on Geddy's side!). Of course, I was singing along to all the songs and having a good ol' time, and I got a few smiles from Alex sent my way.

 

I'd love to sit next to someone like you at a Rush concert. We'd have a great time.

 

Yeh, I'd love to sit next to the guy that always sits at the front too!

 

That's not what I meant. She is enthusiastic about Rush and we share similar taste in our favorite albums/songs. I would be singing along with her. Maybe even getting up and doing a little dance every once in a while. Or just sitting there looking mesmerized.

 

Getting up? The only time I sat down was during the intermission! :banana: :cheerleader: :yay: :7up: :dweez:

So you are one of those who's blocking the view to the old pals who's sitting behind you!

[Lorraine]

I couldn't be on my feet the entire concert. I would be in pain for weeks after. Yes, I know some of you would say Rush is worth it, but you wouldn't be the one in pain. :(

[rugen]

I couldn't be on my feet the entire concert. I would be in pain for weeks after. Yes, I know some of you would say Rush is worth it, but you wouldn't be the one in pain. :(

 

I know you Lorraine, you were at least been sitting for all the Snakes and Arrows songs

[x1yyz]

I couldn't be on my feet the entire concert. I would be in pain for weeks after. Yes, I know some of you would say Rush is worth it, but you wouldn't be the one in pain. :(

 

Everyone would have to hold you up on their shoulders ;)

[Lorraine]

I couldn't be on my feet the entire concert. I would be in pain for weeks after. Yes, I know some of you would say Rush is worth it, but you wouldn't be the one in pain. :(

 

Everyone would have to hold you up on their shoulders ;)

 

Fortunately I don't weigh much.